The Cleveland Browns began Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season with five new starting offensive linemen. In the history of the league, that has never happened before.
The Browns did not offer new deals to four of the five departing offensive linemen and waited to see if LG Joel Bitonio was coming back. This meant starting over and building something new.
RELATED: WEEK 4 INJURY REPORT
One of the new offensive linemen signed during free agency was C/OG Elgton Jenkins from the Green Bay Packers. In college,
he was named First Team All-American and a two-time SEC Academic Honor Roll recipient. So, he’s smart, which is a condition for playing center because this position must read the defensive front, identify who the middle linebacker is on each play, and indicate to his linemates potential blitzers.
Jenkins came out of training camp as the starting center and has played every snap in this position this year. Yet, he is now listed on the Browns injury report with a concussion.
Which is odd, because he played every down in the victory over the Carolina Panthers. It’s unclear when the concussion first occurred, when it was diagnosed, and why he was allowed to continue to play until the final gun.
What could have happened is that while in the locker room, somebody noticed something wasn’t right with him or he woke up Monday morning feeling off. Next is a focused neurological exam, balance test, and memory evaluation. If diagnosed with a concussion, the player enters the official Return-to-Participation Protocol. This becomes a five-step process without any set time limit and is then cleared by the team doctor. Next, he is evaluated by an independent neurological consultant before the athlete can be cleared for play.
What is known, however, is that he is on the injury report and there is a good possibility that Jenkins will not play against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football.
Which is a huge problem.
The center is the quarterback of the offensive line. It is Jenkins’ job to yell out protection calls and read the defensive front pre-snap so the rest of the linemen know who to block. He has the experience and has gelled nicely with his new linemates. It is a special position with special duties besides blocking on his own.
And now, that line leader will be missing.
In his stead will be either Luke Wypler or rookie Parker Brailsford, who was taken in the fifth round in this year’s NFL Draft. Both had plenty of success at the college level at the center position.
Wypler is the best bet since he is now in his fourth NFL season and has played in 25 games with six starts, including subbing for C Ethan Pocic in the final five games last season. He played every snap against the Chicago Bears, Buffalo Bills, and Steelers in Weeks 14 through 16 and then 67.3% of the time in the finale versus the Cincinnati Bengals.
He appeared in every game last season, plus all three contests this year. However, he has had zero offensive snaps this season.
Brailsford was a high school standout and was named First Team Arizona 5A All-State and a state champion in football. He has a history of being prepared in the game and also in life. It’s what most centers are made of. His feet never stop moving, and he is able to handle twist moves and delayed blitzes.
Although he had a terrific camp and was mentioned by several media outlets as perhaps the best center, he doesn’t have any actual NFL game experience. Brailsford has been listed as inactive in each of the three contests so far. Which means he hasn’t been able to line up on special teams coverage teams or block on punts and field goals. He hasn’t tasted anything related to a real game.
If Wypler is the new center, certainly the coaching staff will activate Brailsford as his backup for the Pittsburgh game.
Regardless, losing Jenkins will become a huge hole. This offensive line has come a very long way and is just getting to form some consistency and build a cohesive unit. Now, this. Plus, Jenkins has really melded with QB Deshaun Watson in this new offense.
Because of the short turnaround from Sunday’s game to the Thursday night event, the Browns practiced a walkthrough on Monday, and Jenkins was listed as DNP (did not participate).
The protocol parameters are pretty stiff in the NFL. It will be almost impossible for Jenkins to clear the mandatory concussion protocol in time.
How big of a deal do you think Jenkins’ absence would be for the Browns vs. the Steelers on Thursday Night Football?
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